Hail the Utah Aggies!

Utah State! Hey! Aggies all they way! Go Aggies! Go Aggies! Hey! Hey! Hey!

Lets just say the Aggies beat Northern Illinois University tonight in the Poinsettia Bowl. Great night to be an Aggie! 

THE Hoodrat of 210

Sometimes your friends leave you to go on missions. And sometimes their hand decides to be dumb so they are sent home to get fixed. And I am so thankful that this happened to Cassie Davie.
She seriously is the best.
Her favorite word is "Huzzah!"
I definitely missed her while she was gone.
She cracks me up.
Our conversations are seriously the best.
We think the exact same things.
We are in the exact same situations.
We are pretty much the exact same person.
She is the greatest, that Cassie Davie.

Adventure is out there!

Did you guys know that I am a Wilderness Explorer? And I have the Ellie Badge? It's true. It all happened the summer of 2012 in Disneyland.
Well tonight I watched Up with my grandparents and thought I would document all my favorite quotes because there are such good quotes.

"Adventure is out there!"--Charles Muntz

"I ripped this right out of a library book"--Ellie.

"South America. It's like America, but south."--Ellie.

"You don't talk much... I like you!"--Ellie.

"The wilderness must be explored! CA-CA! RAAWWRR!"--Russell.

"Hey, let's play a game. It's called 'See Who Can Be Quiet the Longest."--Carl
"Cool! My mom loves that game!"--Russell

"Now, we're gonna walk to the falls quickly and quietly with no rap music or flash dancing."--Carl.

"You'd better get up, Russell. Or else, the tigers will come eat you."--Carl
"Tigers don't live in South America. Zoology."--Russell

"I can smell you!"--Dug.

"I wonder who he belongs to."--Carl
"Sit, boy. Hey look, he's trained! Shake. Speak."--Russell
"Hi there."--Dug
"Did that dog just say 'Hi there?'"--Carl
"Oh yes. My name is Dug. I have just met you and I love you."--Dug

"Squirrel!"--Dug

"Can we keep him? Please, please, please?"--Russell
"No."--Carl
"But it's a talking dog!"--Russell

"Kevin's a girl?"--Russell.

"I liked his other voice"--Russell.

"This is crazy. I finally meet my childhood hero and he's trying to kill us. What a joke."--Carl
"Hey, I know a joke! A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, 'I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.' Ha! It is funny because the squirrel gets dead."--Dug

"I was hiding under your porch because I love you"--Dug.

The Hobbit and the Restoration

Today, I watched The Hobbit. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan. I love it.

As I watched this scene, I thought of something I always taught my girls at camp.

Even in our darkest hour, when we are just about to give up and lose all hope, Heavenly Father will always be there to our rescue.

Each week at Oakcrest, I had the opportunity to teach about Joseph Smith, the First Vision, and the Restoration (Joseph Smith--History 1:5-20). 

"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which has seized upon me, and that the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction--not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being--just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me."--JSH 1:15-16

Joseph Smith was at the lowest of lows. And at the moment he was about to give in to Satan's power, Heavenly Father came to save him.

Heavenly Father loves each of us and will never leave us. He will let us struggle to learn and gain experience but he will never desert us. 

Faith

"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."--The Conductor from The Polar Express

Last night, I watched The Polar Express. It is one of my favorite Christmas movies ever. As I have reflected on the recent events and changes in my life, this quote really hit home for me. A lot of things have not been in my favor lately. I have been struggling to be happy and understand that Heavenly Father is in control and that what he is doing will make me happy. Sometimes it is good to have a reminder that Heavenly Father loves me and cares about me and knows what is best for me and what will make me happy. I just need to have faith in Him and His timing.

"And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."--Alma 32:21

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou has seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."--John 20:29

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."--Ether 12:6

Music Monday (which is technically yesterday)

My future husband can sing this to me.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving...

What am I thankful for? Well here are a few things.
(These are in no particular order. It is just what comes to mind)
My mom
My dad
Anthony, Courtney, and Preston
Barkley
My grandparents
Cozy beds
All of my wonderful aunts, uncles and cousins
Cute little cousins who can turn your entire day around
Electric blankets
Peaches and cream
Circle toast
Grilled cheese sandwiches
A running car
Knowing how to drive stick shift
Cafe Rio
Buffalo Wild Wings
Music
Parachute
One Direction
Spotify
itunes
Hot showers
Bubble bath
Books
The Book of Mormon
The Gospel
Oakcrest
Calamity
Sharkbait
Chief
Sunshine
Jazelle
Good friends
Especially Kayla Baldwin
My roommates
Liisa (yes she is my roommate but she is special)
Ice cream
The boys next door
Teague
Trials
Home teachers
Priesthood blessings
Prayer
Scriptures
Heavenly Father
Jesus Christ
The Atonement
Repentance
Thomas S. Monson
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Henry B. Eyring
Elaine S. Dalton
All the other General Authorities
Utah State University
Matthew LaPlante (even though I hate him too hahaha)
Awesome professors
Cheap textbooks
Having enough money for food
Work
The D.I.
Cute clothes
Warm clothes
Sweats. Sweats. Sweats.
Messy buns
Leggings
Big sweaters
Fuzzy socks
Sleeping in
Waking up to "Baby you light up my world like nobody else!" because One Direction sings to me every morning.
My laptop
Wifi
My craptastic cell phone
Pictures
Smiles
Compliments
Pinterest
Basketball
Football
Chuckie Keeton
Stew Morrill
Peter Pancake
Front row seats
Not being afraid to be crazy at Aggie sporting events
Being an Aggie
Not being a Cougar hahahahaha :)

Forget Me Not

There are some things in my life that I need to remember and continuously need to learn about. 

Music Monday

Today, the new One Direction album Midnight Memories was released :)

Here are a few of my favorites so far:

"Don't you feel so good? You just drowned someone!"--Liisa

Sometimes drawing faces on rocks and throwing them in First Dam is really fun.
My awesome roommate, Liisa with two i's, showed this to me.
Liisa is a genius.
I know that sounds really mean and all.
But really.
You should try it sometime.

One of the biggest blessings

Moms are the best.
And my mom is THE best mom. Ever. Hands down.
I had my world turned upside down last night.
I called my mom as soon I could this morning.
I cried a lot.
She told me to cry as much as I wanted.
I got out of bed, showered and went to class.
When class was over, I called my mom.
"Where are you at?" she said.
"What do you mean?" I said.
"I'm on campus!" she said.
Right then and there I broke into full on tears.
My mom drove two hours to hug me and take me to lunch.
Because she is the best mom.
She is my best friend.
I love my mom.
So much.

Oakcrest Blessing

So I love Oakcrest. It is seriously one of the greatest places on earth. But the only hard thing about it is that we can't come in contact with our girls after camp. So I don't ever talk to my campers.

Well today I got a text from my mom asking if I had a camper named Allie. And I did. Guys! She is on my sister's basketball team! She saw my sister and thought, "Oh, she looks like One D" and asked my sister if she had a sister who worked at Oakcrest! This is the best day ever!

She is even wearing her camp shirt!!!

I am so happy I could cry!

We All Have a Fairy Tale

Everyone wants that perfect fairy tale ending. But sometimes roadblocks show up and keep us from what we believe is our "Happily Ever After." What we don't understand is that it is Heavenly Father guiding us to our real happily ever after because He knows what it is. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf is THE man and even though this talk was given at a General Young Womens meeting, it applies to everyone.

I. Love. It.

Because Some Days I Follow the Crowd

The lovely Kim 'Sharkbait' Pace did a Music Monday post and I am going to do one too because I have been listening to the same 4 songs today.

Chocolate--The 1975

Migraine--Twenty One Pilots

Roar--Katy Perry

Shiver Shiver--Walk The Moon

The last few hours have been a rough few hours. I am definitely lost and confused. I don't know what to do again. I'm stuck at that starting gate. But as I was reading my scriptures tonight, I read a verse that I had highlighted earlier this week while at the temple:

"...all this because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord--therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them..." - Mosiah 10:13

Seriously. Heavenly Father knows exactly what I need, when I need it. As long as I keep the commandments of the Lord and remain faithful, He will answer my prayers. He will always be there when I need help or comfort. He will make my burdens seem light. He will show me that light at the end of the tunnel. I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who knows me, loves me and is mindful of me. 

"...peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment." - D&C 121:7

#comeonandslam #welcometothejam

When I was a little girl, I definitely had my few favorite movies that I watched all the time. Lion King, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Space Jam.

Well tonight at the TSC, I got to relive a little part of my childhood. Space Jam is seriously one of the greatest movies EVER. 

Seriously...

Michael Jordan is THE man.

And the music is fantastic!

You can even ask Anna Black! I can sing this entire song.

And when I was little I had a Lola Bunny shirt that I loved to wear!

(I am going to have to try to find a picture of this when I go home.)

Bfrt... I love Space Jam.

Trying To Play Catch-Up part 1

The Best Summer One D Ever Had
This summer I had the opportunity to work at as a counselor at Oakcrest which is an LDS girls camp. I spent 11 weeks in Kamas, UT. I took care of 8-14--I know that sounds like a lot and it was a lot some weeks--13 and 14 year old girls. And for those 11 weeks my name was One D. It was the hardest but most rewarding experience I have ever had.

I love these ladies so much!

Sometimes we make it a competition to see who can lick the most elbows...

Sometimes you win Camp Clue... And it makes playing Camp Clue actually worth it haha

 Or you take cute pictures on the slides

Or you brush your teeth with ash

And get all foamy from the foam slide.

You also get a lot of love smashes

And you get to hold butterflies

And you try to fit as many people as you can on the slides.

Sometimes you even find the D-Ship sleeping in the middle of the day

And you dress up like the Grinch with all your Cindy Lou Whos and Max

And you hike all the way to Lonely Tree on the mountain top. And then you sign it.

It was seriously the best.

I definitely had my best weeks and my worst weeks. But I know that I was there for a purpose. I definitely learned a lot about myself. I learned that I can do hard things. I learned that I really am not supposed to go on a mission. I learned that my Father in Heaven loves me very much and that He is very aware of me, my wants and my needs. And I hope one day that I will get to return to that fantastic place and do more marvelous work there.

Wow I really need to write more...

So many things have happened since I last wrote. But I am too busy right now to write everything. So I will do it later. But I am so surprised to see how many page views I still get daily and I haven't posted anything... So yeah. I will post a lot of stories soon!

Chickens

If you had a pet chicken, what would you name it? Well, today my mom, sister, and I came up with potential names for chickens. Here is our list:

Boneless
Kentucky Fried
Pox
Strips
Fingers
Crispy
Noodle
Pot Pie
Breast
Thigh
Wing
Drumstick
Nugget
Bullion
Broth
Bock
Enchilada
Fried Steak
Orange
Teriyaki
Mandarin
Little
Rubber

Oh yeah. We had a good time.
***We are not going to be getting chickens any time soon.  We were looking at fencing for our dog and chickens came up.

My Genius Little Sister

So we all know that I am a huge One Direction fan and this summer I will be called "One D" just about every day for 11 weeks.  

Well last night I was talking to my sister and she started speaking with a British accent.  So then I started speaking with a British accent.  And it was way fun!  Then my brilliant little sister said I should talk with a British accent all summer, convince the campers that I am from the UK, and pretend I am dating a member from One Direction (Hayley is dating David Archuleta, right?).  

I don't know if I am going to take on this challenge.  I know I promised Sam and Cassie that I would work on my British accent while they are on their missions, but I don't know if I could keep it up for a week let alone a day or an hour!  But we shall see...

Way To Go Facebook...

... for making me miss life in Logan

One of Utah State's posts was a photo of Old Main and this link (http://it.usu.edu/webcam) and I was dumb enough to click on it.  I MISS YOU GUYS!!! Everyone! Especially those in Merrill Hall! Seriously... I MISS YOU!!!!!

Ugh. Ok. I'm glad I got that out of my system.

While I Wasn't Sleeping...

I found this cover that Parachute's lead singer, Will Anderson, did of Gavin Degraw's "Not Over You."
Love. It.

Remember That One Time... Dedicated to Who The Crap is Anna Black aka ShDynasty

Once Upon A Time... There were two old office chiars.

One day, the Hoodrats of 210 + Girl Taylor saved the two office chairs from the dumpster and took them back to 210.  And these chairs served the Hoodrats + Girl Taylor and friends well.  They were sat upon, good foot rests, raced, and more.  Everyone loved the chairs, even though they creaked or fell apart when picked up.

Well as the school year came to an end, no one sadly wanted to take the chairs home with them.  So Who The Crap Is Anna Black and Girl Taylor decided to ride them all the way from Merrill Hall, through Ultimite Frisbee practice, to Old Main Hill where they were placed to rest in a beautiful spot over look Old Main Hill. 

But before they were left alone to live out the rest of their office chair lives, Who The Crap Is Anna Black and Girl Taylor took pictures.

The End

Mothers Day

I hope you all have seen this video. It is pretty cute. And quite hysterical. :) I love the Kid President.

So my mom is pretty much the best. I love her so much. She is my best friend. I can tell her anything. I love spending time with her. She is so funny. She always knows how to make me smile. She is the best person to talk to. I absolutely don't know what I would do without her. She is the best. I love her so much!

I sent this video to my mom yesterday and this morning I saw her response: "Soooo Funny! Thank you for sending me this link. I love you too Taylor. You bless my life every day and I am proud to be your mommy and clean up all the poop and I will lay off the meatloaf and hug more. Aren't you glad we didn't name you Phone?!?"

Bahahaha I love my mom :)

New Celebrity Crush

So last friday He Is We, The Ready Set, and Parachute came to Utah State and performed for us since it was the friday before finals.  My friends and I got there early so we could be on the floor and be in the mosh pit and be close to the bands. Lets just say I had like two people in front of me and then it was the stage.
Well He Is We was really good! I really enjoyed them. A lot! I knew most of their songs. They put on a great show. They were awesome.
The Ready Set performed and they were ok.  Fed Ex lost all their equiptment so they had to play acoustic...
THEN Parachute came out. Holy. Cow. I. Love. Parachute. I mean I had liked them a lot before the concert, but know I LOVE THEM. Especially this man... Will Anderson

I was literally that close to him. Like my friend took this picture.

This is a picture of him in the Spectrum that Parachute posted.

Ummm. Yeah.  I'm usually not into the punk rocker type but OH MY GOODNESS he is one attractive man. And he sings. And he sings beautifully. He is my ringtone. 

I cannot wait for their new album coming out in June... 

Here is one of their new songs that I am obsessed with.

And here are my friends and I before we left.

Yeah... I love me some Will Anderson from Parachute.

That awkward moment when...

As I was taking my chemistry final, I heard this little thud.  Then I realized there was only one of my flip flops in front of me.  My shoe had fallen behind the seat in front of me.  So I finished my test and gathered all my stuff together and then sat there trying how to nonchalantly get my shoe.  I finally just gave up and realized how dumb I would look no matter what I did.  So I just got on my knees and reached down through the seat in the row in front of me and quickly grabbed my shoe.  I totally got some weird looks.
So embarrasing... Hahaha not really.

The best break from studying for finals... Ever.

So finals week begins in three minutes from right when I typed this. 
But this last week was dead week.
Well my friends and I have been renting the tandem bikes all week from Aggie Blue Bikes because tandem bikes are the best! They just bring so much happiness! We were lucky enough to get both tandem bikes for the entire weekend!
But tonight was the last night that we had them.
We are quite depressed about it.
So we have been riding them just about whenever we can.
Well I have a pretty hard final in nine and a half hours and have been studying a lot today. 
So I decided that I wanted to go for a tandem bike ride.
But not just any tandem bike ride.
A tandem bike ride with a boy.
I know...
Gross...
Just kidding!
bfrt
So I texted the boy I went on that Walk 'n' Talk with a few days ago and asked him to come with me.
I successfully convinced him to come.
Which is quite an achievement.
He even texted me back about ten minutes after I asked him.
Which is an even greater achievement.
So then we got to the tandem bike.
Lets just say he was kind of a baby about it.
He was extremely worried that we would crash and die.
And he wouldn't let me drive it.
But we finally got going.
We biked around for a few minutes trying to figure out where to go.
Then we decided to bike across the grass of The Quad.
But he switched the gears from like six to one and the chain fell off.
So we had to stop in the middle of the grass to fix it.
We biked around some more and just talked.
Then we decided to go ride through the cemetery.
But before we got to the cemetery, we rode by the Legacy Fields.
I had told him my first time being on those fields, I did a cartwheel.
So he decided he wanted to do a cartwheel on the fields.
So we stopped.
Then he decided he wanted to have a cartwheel race.
So I agreed to participate in this race.
Well he won.
Then we were really dizzy and tried to spin backwards.
But it didn't really work.
I just got more confused.
So then we got back on the tandem.
And rode through the pitch black cemetery.
It was really creepy.
And it was kind of weird that there were some graves with those little solar lights.
He told me that if I ever have anything to do with his funeral, to not ever put a light at his grave.
That was kind of weird.
Then we made it safely out of the cemetery and rode back to our dorm.
So yeah!
It was so fun!
I am so glad that I was able to convince him to go with me!
Pretty much the best break from studying.

Well it is officially finals week...
Happy Finals Week. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Oh man...

Oh beautiful man! Michael Buble! He could sing to me any day! His voice is gorgeous! Oh man! 

I think I would melt if he sang to me.

How do you decide who to marry?

So my friends and I are all in the stage of life where we are dating and checking out guys and wondering who we are going to marry.  Well this link just popped up on my news feed on Facebook.
(I copied and pasted the quotes on the link to the blog)

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

A group of young kids were asked how to decide who to marry and here are the results which are pretty amusing.

(1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
- Alan, age 10

(2) No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.
- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

(1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
- Camille, age 10

(2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

(1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

(1) Both don’t want any more kids.
- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

(1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
- Lynnette, age 8 (isn’t she a treasure)

(2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that Usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

(1) I’d run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

(1) When they’re rich.
- Pam, age 7

(2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn’t want to mess with that.
- Curt, age 7

(3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do.
- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

(1) I don’t know which is better, but I’ll tell you one thing. I’m never going to have sex with my wife. I don’t want to be all grossed out.
- Theodore, age 8

(2) It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN’T GET MARRIED?

(1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn’t there?
- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is……..

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

(1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
- Ricky, age 10

I would say today was a very successful day.

1. Wore my cute new skirt
2. Looked super cute in my cute new skirt
3. Went to class--Last day of Sports Psych :(
4. Got a new dress and belt in the mail
5. Watched a chem lecture
6. Went on a Walk 'n' Talk with a boy who is a total catch but doesn't realize it
7. Hung out at 210
8. Threw water balloons at Anna, Hayley, and the boy I went on the Walk 'n' Talk with
9. Changed Anna's relationship status on Facebook
10. Changed Anna's relationship status back to 'single' after thirty seconds
11. Ate delicious soup that Chaia made
12. Cleaned the Sink at Angie's with Charlotte, Hayley, Chaia, Anna, Liisa, and Maddie
13. Rode the tandem bike around campus with Anna
14. Watched more chem lectures
15. Wrote this blog post
Yup I would say today was pretty successful! :)

Elder Carlile

Most of you have never heard of Elder Carlile.  If you have, there is a good chance you don't know the whole story of Elder Carlile.  But a few select people do.  And I am not going to tell you the whole story, but here is a little part of it.

Elder Carlile is my best friend.  We have been friends since the second to last day of 7th grade.  And then two and a half months later, I moved to Louisiana.  But throughout living in Louisiana and Wyoming, we wrote, texted, and called each other a lot and became really close.  He knows everything about me and I know everything about him.  He was always there for me when I needed help or someone to talk to and I was always there for him.  He is one of those friends that I do not know what I would do without.  He always makes me feel special.  He is such a good example to me.  He has such a strong testimony of the Gospel.  I could go on and on about him.

Well today, I got my first letter from Elder Carlile :) He is serving in Spokane, Washington.

To say the least, I was running and jumping and squealing and I think I got a weird look from Boy Taylor.

It seriously made my whole day better.  I haven't stopped smiling since :)  

Holy cow! I am writing this from my kindle! Technology is so cool!

This Post Is For Hayley K. Rogers aka STOOB

Dear Stoob,

Thank you for being awesome. You are pretty much the best! I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for always having funny stories for me and for keeping me entertained... Even though that isn't too hard to do... hahaha I can't wait to live with you until we get married, but not to each other. That would be really weird. 

So because you are so awesome, I dedicate this youtube video to you (since you haven't seen it yet and it is hysterical!).

I hope you just laughed as much as I do every time I watch this :)

***Updated after I found this! This one is definitely for you, Stoob!

Keep Calm and Carry On Part Two

A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled "Keep Calm and Carry On."  I was definitely at a low point in my life. I was struggling.  I did not know what to do.  I was stuck.

One thing I was really struggling with was deciding whether or not to serve an LDS Mission and dedicate eighteen months of my life to the Lord and spreading the Gospel to the world.  When the mission age change announcement was made, I had no desire to go on a mission.  But towards the middle of February I had begun receiving promptings and feelings that I needed to go on a mission.  I had prayed, fasted, went to the temple, and sought guidance from church leaders and my parents multiple times, whether or not to go on a mission, but I was not getting an answer.  It was always blank.

Well March 28, 2013, Hayley, Anna and I had a meeting with Bishop Harding to be set apart as counselors at the LDS Oakcrest camp for this summer.  As we were talking with Bishop before being set apart, I could feel the Spirit so strong and knew something was going to happen.  I had no idea what it was but I just had a good feeling.  Hayley and Anna both received their blessings and I was last.  I knew Bishop had to be the one to give me my blessing, I did not know why but I just knew it.  In my blessing, Bishop addressed my concerns and needs for working at Oakcrest, but then towards the end of my blessing, he said something along the lines of "think of Oakcrest as your mission."  I was in tears.  I knew right then that that was what I needed to do.  I did not need to go on a mission.  It is not what I am supposed to do.  Heavenly Father has something else in store for me.  I can not tell you how happy, excited, calm, nervous, and overwhelmed I was all at that moment.

"In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it."--Deuteronomy 30:16

This experience was such a testimony to me about how Heavenly Father really does know us and he does love us and he knows our concerns and needs.  He really does have a plan for each and every one of us and if we listen to the Spirit, we will be guided down that path that He has planned for us.  Heavenly Father loves to bless us.  He really does.  I love Heavenly Father so much and am glad that I had this opportunity to listen to the Spirit and learn from Him.

Best Thirty Minutes Ever!

So after class every day, I always check the mail. Usually there is just junk mail or nothing so I wasn't getting my hopes up or anything.  But today, I opened the mailbox  and sitting right there was a letter to me from Elder Michael Rulez Morgan! I was literally skipping and jumping back to my room. To say the least, I was excited! Then as I was eating my lunch, I got a phone call from Hayley saying that she received a letter from Sister Sam Shurtleff and that in that envelope there was a letter for ME! TWO LETTERS IN ONE DAY! This never happens!

 So yeah. Today had a pretty great morning :)

Holy Cow! Who is looking at my blog? haha My page views are higher than ever but my regulars are all on LDS Missions! Crazy!

Our General Authorities Are SO COOL!

I wish I could fist bump with an apostle!

This is pretty good

I need to get out sometime

I seriously need to get out of my apartment... I have been in here pretty much all day for the last three days.  Tuesday I had a migraine all day so I pretty much slept all day Tuesday.  Wednesday I tried to study for chemistry but instead watched Lost but I fell asleep pretty early.  Today I have pretty much been in my room since 9:15 this morning. I watched 6 chemistry lectures today. SIX! I am on chemistry overload... I did at least shower and read my scriptures. But holy cow. I need to get out every once in a while. I really want to go for a walk or a bike ride on campus right now because according to my computer it is 56 degrees at 11:25 at night, but it is night time and I don't want some creeper creepin' on me or anything like that.  I just need a boyfriend...

Keep Calm and Carry On

There are many things in my life where I fall short and need to be taught something by the Lord.  Sometimes I do not understand why I have to be taught the same thing over and over and over again.  It feels like I have it mastered but then something else gets thrown at me and I have to go through the whole process again.  And right now, I am struggling to understand why I have to keep learning this.
What I am struggling with is patience, particularly patience to find out the unknown.  Recently I have just felt like I am living in the unknown, waiting for Heavenly Father to direct me on the path in which I am supposed to go.  And it is hard.  It is the worst feeling ever.  Limbo.

I know Heavenly Father has a huge, wonderful, glorious plan for me.  But I feel like I am stuck.
Have you ever seen a starting gate of a horse race?  There are about twelve to fourteen gate lined up in a row.  The horse enters into the gate from the back, where the front is locked with an electric lock.  Then when the starter is satisfied with all the horses in their place and ready to start, he presses a button.  That button stops the current of electricity in each lock and the doors open all at the same time and the race is on.  But I feel like my lock is not working.  I am stuck in the starting gate while everyone else is out there racing.

But not only is my lock not working, my lock is different from everyone else's lock because mine has a secret combination.  And only I am able to unlock it.  Except I do not know the combination.  But the Lord does.  And as I am fiddling with the lock, struggling to open it, the Lord is giving me hints to that combination.  There are times where I feel like I am so close to figuring it out and opening that lock.  But then I am proven wrong, and I am nowhere near opening that lock.

Then today while I was at my grandparent's house, I noticed this framed in my grandpa's office:

That. Right there. That is just what I am going to do.

My Adventurous Spring Break...So Far...

So I am sitting here looking at a blinking cursor while Hayley KRogers is laughing at me and my misspelled words and my inability to figure out what I want to blog about...

So here are the random things that have happened the last few days in no particular order because that makes me have to use my brain a little more than I want to right now because I'm tired!

Welcome to SAN DIEGO!!!!

• Hayley Rogers hacked me today. BUT it wasn't a blog hack so... yeah :)

• I love the movie Hitch
• I bought a "drug rug" 20 miles north of Tijuana, Mexico...hahahaha
• I got sea sick on the USS Midway while it was in port.
• I thought a real man was a mannequin and it really scared me... like REALLY scared me... you can even ask Hayley KRogers... Hayley wishes she had a video of it to watch it over and over and over again.
• I feel bad for every boy who is taller than me and had to or will ever have to walk through the USS Midway because I was almost too tall for just about ever part of the carrier...

• I had a dream last night where I had seven dwarfs, a pet dragon, and I was the Bachelorette and the three remaining guys were all guys on their missions.
• Missions! We went to the Mormon Battalion site in Old Town. And it was pretty cool! I could definitely serve a mission there.
• We met a lot of people from Utah State there too... CRAY CRAY!
• A short little Mexican man serenaded Hayley KRogers, her mom, and I while we were eating our lunch... I am a giant...

• We randomly found Mark today while driving to Mission Beach and stopped to say hi to him. Hayley and I decided we need to got to Lacrosse games more...
• I got sunburned in really random spots. Well maybe not random, but only one of my thighs got burned compared to the other... I know... weird! It is the only part that really hurts, but I am no where being as burned as Hayley KRogers hahahaha she is like a lobster....
• We went to Coronado beach and laid out next to the famous Coronado Hotel. It was pretty cool, and  the beach wasn't busy at all! Except for the STUPID birds...

• The Birds... They could smell mine and Hayley KRogers' food... They went for Hayley KRogers' food first.... He ate a part of the box, then the bun, then the meat and then I threw the french fries at them as they kept coming and swarming our little circle of towels... So then I picked up her box and threw it in the trash. Then I turned around and the stupid bird went for my food! He didn't get to it but I threw it away before I had to throw more french fries... 
• I got an awesome cupcake from Coronado too. Yumm :)

• We went and did baptisms at the San Diego temple. Definitely one of the coolest experiences ever! That temple is beautiful!!!